Respect aside, Shane Battier will continue annoying Kevin Durant

Shane Battier says, of everyone in the league who has never been a teammate, he probably respects Kevin Durant most.

“He’s about the basketball,” Battier said. “He’s about his team, he’s about playing the right way, he’s about playing to win, he’s a competitor. That’s what makes this league great. I like to think I approach the game that way, and that’s the way I grew up watching it.”

And yes, Battier heard about Durant’s comments Wednesday, with the Thunder star — who tried to recruit Battier to Oklahoma City last offseason — saying he “hates” the hand-raising and waving that Battier does on defense.

“That’s funny,” Battier said.

“I haven’t done that probably until the second part of my career in Houston,” Battier said. “Jeff Van Gundy (now an ABC analyst) was the first coach I really had who was a stickler for contesting jump shots. That’s when I really started focusing on it. Then I realized I had pretty good hand-eye coordination.”

And he figured something out.

“What makes that move effective is you hit guys every now and then,” Battier said. “Not flagrantly, but enough to let him know you’re there. But it’s not a foul. That’s what makes it effective.”

In football, it is illegal for a defensive back to face-guard a receiver.

“That’s our running joke,” Battier said. “We say, ‘They’ll never admit it. They’ll never admit it.’ Kobe (Bryant) will swear up and down on all of his MVP and championship trophies that it doesn’t work. Doesn’t want to give me anything.”